Yearly Archives: 2018
Last of Us Creative Director Promoted to VP of Naughty Dog
Neil Druckmann has been promoted to vice president of Naughty Dog.
"In recognition of his expanded role, contributing on critical, studio level decisions, Neil Druckmann is now vice president of Naughty Dog," studio president Evan Wells said in a post on the developer's official blog. "He's been a vital part of the management team for some time now, and we're proud to formally acknowledge his involvement."
Wells also confirmed that Druckmann will continue to serve as creative director on The Last of Us, Part II.
Additionally, Naughty Dog announced that Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau are now serving as the joint game directors on The Last of Us, Part II. "Both Kurt and Anthony joined Naughty Dog during Uncharted 2 and have been instrumental in leading the design department, and have been key contributors on our subsequent games," Wells said.
Enormous Indie MegaBooth Line-Up Announced for PAX East 2018
If you've ever attended one of the PAX events, you know the Indie MegaBooth is the purest and rawest form of distilled PAX-ness on the floor. The 2018 Indie MegaBooth is no exception, with over 100 games from 93 developers shown off from April 5-8.
The MegaBooth takes up over 7,000 square feet of the Boston Convention Center, with video games and tabletop games getting their moment in the sun. There's also the Indie MiniBooth to check out. Like the tabletop booth, the MiniBooth line-up rotates depending on which day you check it out.
The 2017 PAX East Indie Megabooth had over 80 games, so this year's event is substantially larger.
Vin Diesel Confirmed for Bloodshot Role
Vin Diesel is confirmed to play the super-solider Bloodshot in Sony Pictures' film adaptation of the Valiant comic book.
Deadline reports Diesel has officially signed on to star as the main lead in the movie, which follows Ray Garrison (aka Bloodshot) going from being a ruthless killer for the mob to getting enhanced with nanotechnology. Reports of Diesel potentially starring in Bloodshot surfaced earlier this year.
State of Decay 2 Is Bigger, Better, and More RPG-y
My car was abandoned in the middle of the road somewhere behind me. I couldn’t go back for it even though I desperately wished I could. I had to bail out of it – while it was moving, mind you – because it was the dead of night and I didn’t see the Bloater standing in my path until he exploded on the front bumper, filling the cabin with noxious gas. I was left to limp up and around a mountain, as a straight-line path back to my community’s base just wasn’t possible. My health was critical. My stamina was exhausted because I hadn’t slept in two days and simply couldn’t run more than a few paces anymore. I figured my odds of surviving – and thus not losing valuable geocacher/masseuse Fulgencio Arellano permanently – were barely north of zero. Between my body, my mind, and my situation, I really was in a state of decay.
The Division’s 2018 Road Map Detailed for the Months Ahead
Ubisoft has shared its plans for The Division over the coming year with the game's 2018 road map.
While some of this was covered after the announcement of The Division 2, Ubisoft has now released a full schedule, outlining the upcoming content and patches planned between now and September.
Two years and 20 million players later, a number of global events have been planned to celebrate and the road map has given us an idea of when we can expect them to roll out. we'll also see 4K support for the Xbox One with April's 1.8.1 update.
Wonder Woman 2: Kristen Wiig Confirmed as Villain Cheetah
Director Patty Jenkins has confirmed Kristen Wiig will play the villain Cheetah in Wonder Woman 2.
"So incredibly lucky to welcome the sensationally talented Kristen Wiig to our Wonder Woman family," Jenkins wrote on Twitter. "Can't wait to finally work with one of my favorites. And SO excited by what we have planned. #Cheetah!!!"
Wiig in Bridesmaids
Prior to today's confirmation, Wiig was said to be "in talks" to play the villain, who was first introduced to comic readers over 70 years ago in Wonder Woman's sixth issue.
Bethesda Announces a New Studio in Austin
Bethesda will be expanding with a third office in Austin, Texas.
Bethesda Game Studios and ZeniMax Media announced that BattleCry Studios will be welcomed into the fold, to become Bethesda Game Studios Austin.
"As the vision, scale and ambitions for our games continue to grow, so does Bethesda Game Studios,” said Todd Howard, Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios. “We’ve had the pleasure to know the talented developers at BattleCry, and knew we could do great things together.”
BattleCry Studios was established in 2012. Development of the studio's first title, BattleCry, was halted in 2015 amidst news of layoffs, but it went on to assist id Software with the development of 2016's Doom.
IGN UK Podcast #425: Super Smashing Boys
Nintendo Direct took a big old dump of awesome games on us this week so Rory, Krupa & Gav go absolutely mad on Dark Souls Amiibo, Rory's Smash Bros. skills and there's a lovely embarrassing story about Priyanka Chopra and another definitely story about Nicolas Cage going nuts in his new film Mom & Dad.
We've also got some awesome feedback and an absolutely epic round of Keyword Countdown.
IGN UK Podcast #425: Super Smashing Boys
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Pokemon: Giant Lapras Plush on Sale (and Immediately Sold Out) in Japan
Bandai Namco has begun preorders for a massive Lapras cushion on its official online store in Japan, the second in a series of giant Pokemon cushions following Snorlax.
Despite its pricing at a whopping ¥79,000 (about $740, tax included), the cushion sold out immediately. It just goes to show that Lapras' round eyes and large size has captured the hearts of Pokémon Trainers around the country.
While you might have a hard time fitting one of these massive cushions somewhere, that didn’t stop Trainers from buying them up.
The outside is soft to the touch, while the inside is a combination of cotton material and air cushioning, and is built to withstand the weight of an average adult (though you’ll probably fall off if you try to jump on it).
Days Gone Delayed to 2019
Days Gone has been delayed into 2019, Sony has confirmed.
The game's official website now lists the new release window, and US Gamer got confirmation from Sony that the change from "2018" was deliberate. No reason has been given for the delay.
Days Gone follows the improbably named bounty hunter Deacon St. John in a post-apocalyptic open world. It's being developed by Syphon Filter developer, Sony Bend. It's most notable right now for the impressive crowd physics applied to its zombie like Freaker enemies.